Botswana Recipes
6 recipesBotswana's traditional cooking centers on sorghum and maize porridge (bogobe), beef and goat, and food shared at weddings, funerals and village gatherings. Cattle are central to life, so beef is the prized meat, and the national dish seswaa is beef or goat boiled with little more than salt, then pounded until soft and shredded. Bogobe, sometimes soured (ting), is eaten with meat, greens (morogo) or sour milk, and samp with beans (dikgobe) fills big pots for family meals. Fat cakes (magwinya) are fried bread sold in towns, and flat cakes (diphaphatha) are cooked on a dry pan or over coals. In rural areas people also gather wild greens, melons and mophane caterpillars. Flavors are simple: salt, onion, tomato and a little oil, with chili sauce on the side. Traditional drinks include homemade ginger beer and sour milk (madila).
Staple ingredients
- sorghum
- maize meal
- beef
- goat
- samp (dried corn)
- beans
- morogo (wild greens)
- sour milk
Breakfast
Main Dishes
Side Dishes
Breads
Snacks
Common questions
What is Botswana food known for?
Seswaa (pounded boiled beef), bogobe porridge, morogo greens and magwinya fat cakes. Meat is cooked simply, mostly with salt.
What is the national dish of Botswana?
Seswaa, beef or goat boiled until tender and pounded, is regarded as the national dish. It is served at weddings, funerals and holidays with bogobe, pap or samp.
Is Botswana food spicy?
No. Dishes are seasoned with salt, onion and tomato, and some people add chili sauce at the table.